Casela Park fourth at Musselburgh

6.50pm Chris Cook writes: Casela Park, the horse whose running caused such controversy at Newcastle on Wednesday, has done a little better at Musselburgh tonight. Held up and racing awkwardly, as he had done two days before, he ran on to be fourth without ever looking like getting to the winner, Burns Night.

He may have done better if allowed to race closer to the pace, but the race will not provoke outrage of the kind that we saw earlier in the week.

Casela Park's trainer, Eamon Tyrrell, and the jockey Jason Behan, were referred to the British Horseracing Authority after the Newcastle race, as the local stewards believed his running amounted to a breach of the "non-trier" rules. Both Tyrrell and Behan deny any wrongdoing and a hearing will be arranged in due course.

Behan was supposed to ride the horse at Musselburgh but was replaced by Patrick Mathers after complaining of "feeling unwell". An insight into Behan's feelings were offered some hours before, when he was quoted as saying that he never wanted to see Casela Park again.

What bookmakers really think of punters

12.40pm Chris Cook writes: Fascinating stuff in this morning's Racing Post, in which a former Ladbrokes man talks happily about the fortunes his firm made from novelty bets that punters had no chance of winning. Ron Pollard, a former odds-compiler who left Ladbrokes in 1989, said the firm took £50,000 a year for about a decade on the prospect of aliens being found. Taking bets on Elvis Presley being alive was another nice little earner.

According to Pollard, Ladbrokes took so much money on that outcome that the chief executive became convinced Presley must actually still be breathing. "Punters are crazy," Pollard told the Post. "They bet on anything."

On one view, a responsible government should not be allowing its citizens to be exploited in this manner. Until we get a responsible government, gamblers might like to keep Pollard's words in mind before sticking down a fiver just for the sake of it.

12pm: Cheerleaders are here

Chris Cook writes: As you are all hopefully aware by now, the Shergar Cup makes use of cheerleaders to promote itself. As we were sailing down the Thames yesterday, I promised the captain of the cheerleaders that I'd give her website a mention, so you can read all about them here.

They seem a wholesome and joyous bunch and will no doubt bring much happiness to the occasion at Ascot tomorrow.

Today's best bets, by Will Hayler

If you missed the appearance of Paul Fisher, the head of Jockey Club Racecourses, on Channel 4's Undercover Boss last night, and you have 48 minutes to kill, you can still watch it online here. But it's probably best not to expect anything too revolutionary.

Fisher seemed strangely bemused at the inability of casual workers, earning six quid an hour, to engage with the "Jockey Club Racecourses" brand rather than see themselves as working for, say, Cheltenham, or Carlisle.

But overall it was an entertaining journey around four racecourses through the eyes of the boss, although a little disconcerting that none of the journalists in the press room at Huntingdon seemed to notice who was handing them the list of non-runners before racing.

On to today's racing and there are a few possible plays to take the eye as anticipation builds to fever pitch for tomorrow's Shergar Cup (where, this year, I'm determined to stick to a promise to myself not to have a bet).

Marodima (2.20) can't seem to get the better of the handicapper, but he has found a useful niche dominating bad horses in bad claiming races in recent months, and he looks a fair bet at 11-4 to do his usual trick at Worcester this afternoon.

Since the famous "Home Affairs" incident at Epsom in 2005 where Sir Michael Stoute made it plain to Richard Hughes exactly what he thought of the ride given to his horse in the Diomed Stakes, Stoute has barely given Hughes a single opportunity to start making amends, but the in-form jockey gets the leg-up on the stable's Istidlaal at Lingfield this afternoon.

However Istidlaal has shown few signs of living up to his pedigree so far, and even tried in first-time headgear, I prefer the claims of Stoical (4.40) at twice the odds.

At Musselburgh this evening, Diggeratt (6.30) should be able to build upon the considerable promise of his recent comeback under a 7lb-claimer and give Paul Hanagan another winner to send him further clear in the jockeys' championship.

Plenty of eyes will be on Casela Park in the same race, but it's surely improbable to imagine that just two days after that race at Newcastle he will be winning tonight.

A change of jockey is also the key for the chances of Forever's Girl (8.10), who tired close home under an inexperienced amateur on her first start for six months, but who is eyecatchingly well handicapped on turf compared to all-weather and who ought to benefit from both the return to the minimum trip and the booking of the strongest rider on the northern circuit, the brilliant Silvestre de Sousa.

Tipping competition, day five

It has been a low-scoring week but Onmeheadson became the first to shoot clear of the pack with a brace of 10-1 winners yesterday and he has a handy lead as we approach the final day. Thesquire, leviticus and lawsy all had winners yesterday and are his closest pursuers.

Get those tips in early! In the event of a tie at the end of the week, the winner will be the tipster who, from among those tied on the highest score, posted their tips earliest on the final day (i.e. today!).

This week's prize is a pair of premier enclosure tickets to Doncaster on Saturday 14th August, a week on Saturday, when there will be a post-race concert by Scouting For Girls

As ever, our champion will be the tipster who returns the best profit to notional level stakes of £1 at starting price on our nominated races, of which there will be three each day up until Friday. Non-runners count as losers. If you have not joined in so far this week, you are welcome to do so today, but you will start on -12.